1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a single purpose tool used to remove and replace grease filters safely and easily, in restaurant kitchen exhaust hoods.
2) Description of the Prior Art
All restaurants are required to have exhaust hoods over heated cooking appliances such as grills, stoves, griddles, ovens and deep flyers. The typical restaurant kitchen exhaust hood has a number of metal, baffle style or mesh style filters inserted up into the hood in a track, and the filters trap and hold grease and dirt particles. The filters prevent the grease from plugging up the exhaust fan or causing a fire hazard. These older style mesh or newer style baffle filters are placed into a track, which matches the slope of the exhaust hood. These metal filters have to be removed, cleaned and replaced regularly to insure compliance with both health and safety standards. Typically, someone standing on or over these heated cooking appliances removes these greasy, dirty filters by hand, for cleaning, which is usually both difficult and dangerous to do. Further, this process often contaminates food-cooking surfaces, if grease drips off them while the filters are being removed. This often requires additional cleaning and decontamination of the appliance or cooking area.
The present invention provides a pivoting tool at the end of a handle that has forks designed to catch and hold either wire mesh or baffle style filters. The tool allows a person standing on the floor to reach up into the exhaust hood, and catch the lip of the baffle filter or support frame. By applying an upward force, the user inserts the forks of the invention into the lip of the filter. The filter can thus be lifted and removed, cleaned, and then reinserted into the tracks in the hood. The person using this tool may stand safely on the floor, instead of trying to climb on top of hot or otherwise sanitary cooking surfaces. Another aspect of the invention is the pivoting support plate. Since the slope of the inside of an exhaust hood depends upon it""s size and design, the invention can pivot to various angles, from zero to 90 degrees, to match the slope of the support track and baffle filter. This allows the invention to remove any size or type of restaurant exhaust hood filter.